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RE: [GreenYes] glass recovery from commingled curbside program
My point is that there is no compelling environmental reason to collect glass.

Sounds cold but I can't see it.


At 08:50 AM 3/13/02 -0800, Bantillo, Stephen wrote:

Does it really make sense not to collect it curbside?  We have 10,000 tons of glass each year from our residential program.  Imagine the impact of individuals taking their miniscule loads to drop-off centers.

I have heard over the years numerous discussions on various commodities and how we wonder whether or not we ought to collect them, especially when the markets are in a downturn.  I have always believed, and this is particularly true for larger municipal programs (but it could work with joint efforts with smaller communities), that the collection stream ought to be broad/diversified, much like you would consider for an investment portfolio. Markets go up and down--that is a given.  You can soften the impact of market volatility by diversifying the type of materials you collect.  And though I am not one to rely on technology to solve our problems, I think contamination and quality issues can be addressed, at least to some degree, by carefully considering the collection and processing methods utilized for the mixed stream of materials.  This is not to say that you should collect something because it is there, but you ought to do some serious analysis (as Mr. Reindl suggests in his response on this topic) on the collection, processing, and marketability of the materials and weigh that against the environmental benefits.
Stephen M Bantillo
City of San José, Environmental Services Department
Integrated Waste Management
777 North First Street, Suite 300
San Jose, CA 95112
(408) 277-3846   Office and VMail
(408) 277-3669   Fax     
mailto:stephen.bantillo@ci.sj.ca.us  
www.sjrecycles.org
100% San José.  Recycle Where You Live Work and Play
-----Original Message-----
From: Helen Spiegelman [mailto:hspie@telus.net]
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 8:14 AM
To: eric@ecocycle.org; Michele Raymond
Cc: Steve Hammer; GreenYes
Subject: Re: [GreenYes] glass recovery from commingled curbside program
A cynic might speculate that the only reason to include glass in curbside is that because of its weight it bumps up recovery rates (as long as recovery is measured as material collected at curbside as opposed to material successfully marketed.

H.



At 08:39 AM 03/13/2002 -0700, Eric Lombardi wrote:
Hi Michele,

You're a brave woman to say this ... and it makes me wonder if its true?
Can anyone out there make a "compelling environmental reason" to collect
curbside glass?   The key statement here is "curbside" as opposed to
recycling glass through drop-off centers.

Eric Lombardi
EcoCycle

Michele Raymond wrote:

> It may be heavy, but there is no compelling environmental reason to collect
> glass curbside.
>
> They should try to collect plastic and aluminum,as they have higher
> value.  Just a personal observation
> Glass contaminates other streams too.
> Michele Raymond
>
> At 03:24 PM 3/12/02 -0500, Steve Hammer wrote:
> >As you're probably aware, NYC is in the thick of a debate over its metal
> >glass and plastic recycling program.
> >
> >One of the most contentious issues is what to do about glass -- the city
> >claims that markets have essentially disappeared, and now simply counts all
> >glass collected as part of the 40% residue rate coming out of the processing
> >facilities that sort the material.
> >
> >Obviously, part of the problem is the way it's collected and processed --
> >compacted in a packer truck, dumped onto a concrete floor, and then jostled
> >on a conveyor belt to a picking line.  Very little remains intact.
> >
> >I'm interested in learning more about the markets that other (preferably
> >large) cities have found for their material.  Using Chaz Miller's Waste Age
> >profile from a few months ago, are we destined to low value applications
> >(fill, cover replacement, glassphalt)?
> >
> >What steps have other cities taken to ensure they have a marketable cullet?
> >Are redemption centers or curbside sorting the only way to achieve a
> >marketable material?
> >
> >Thanks for any feedback you can provide.
> >
> >
> >Steve Hammer
> >(w) 212-645-9912
> >shammer@wastesaver.com
> >
> >
> >
> >******************************************
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>
> Michele Raymond
> Publisher
> Recycling Laws International/ State Recycling Laws Update
> 5111 Berwyn Rd. Ste 115 College Park, MD 20740)
> 301/345-4237   Fax 345-4768
> http://www.raymond.com
>
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>
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Michele Raymond
Publisher
Recycling Laws International/ State Recycling Laws Update
5111 Berwyn Rd. Ste 115 College Park, MD 20740)
301/345-4237   Fax 345-4768
http://www.raymond.com

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